To: Michael Green, Superintendent
From: Phil Pearson
Date: May 15, 2024
RE: Woodland High School Board Report
1) School Improvement Plan
We are continuing to track our 9th grade on track number. Earlier this semester we funded one 9th grade success workshop out of the building budget. We have another one scheduled for later this month.
May is typically devoted to getting our seniors across the finish line, which means that graduation rate is a key focus in terms of SIP goals. Steve Rippl has been instrumental in building out an interface to help us track students’ progress on their High School and Beyond plan. Counselors are spending a great deal of time working with students - and especially the seniors - in bringing their courses to a successful conclusion. The on-time graduation rate for WHS for the 22-23 school year was reported by OSPI to be 92.6%. This number represents a return to pre-COVID levels.
2) Recognition
Last Friday WHS held a unified basketball game and assembly. Each team was a mix of students being served by our DSP program and general education students. The role of the general education students was to assist their teammates before, during, and after the game. The band played. The cheerleaders cheered. Mr. Smith wore the beaver costume (shhhh). It was awesome.
My absolute favorite was when one of the students served by our DSP program was attempting to make a basket as the game ended. She had a really hard time getting the ball up to the hoop. The whole game stopped. Both teams gathered around her. A few of our athletes coached her on shoot technique. After a few attempts, the clock ran out, but that didn’t matter. One of the kids gave her a lighter ball and she was able to score. The entire student body erupted with applause and gave her a standing ovation. She danced around on the Beaver logo like she’d just won the Superbowl.
Catherine Pulliam was a MAJOR mover and shaker in all of this and deserves a ton of recognition, but she wasn’t the only one. The DSP staff was great. Adria organized the cheerleaders. Bry organized the band. We had made assembly behavior a priority target during GRIT for a month, so every teacher had a role to play.
Mostly, I was hugely proud of our kids. Frankly, I wasn’t surprised they did so well. We hear so much about how teenagers are so difficult to manage and are so ill-behaved. That’s total baloney. On Friday, WHS kids showed who they really are.
3) Upcoming Events
Not much really happens in May and June at WHS.
OK, that’s also total baloney.
There are a ton of things happening this month. Here are a few:
5-31 Hot Chili, Cool Jazz
6-3 Athletics recognition night
6-4 WHS senior recognition night
6-5 TEAM commencement
6-6 Last regular day of school for seniors
6-7 Parade of graduates, commencement practice, commencement